Beckford could miss Panama clash - National invitee sidelined for at least a month after tearing hamstring

Jamaica may have to do without the services of national invitee Jermaine Beckford for the second match of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying final round, a home tie against Panama, after the player was ruled out for at least a month with a torn hamstring.

After opening their campaign against Mexico at the Azteca stadium last night, Jamaica are next set to tackle the Panamanians at The Office on the 22nd of next month.

The Huddersfield striker, recruited for the national programme a few months ago by head coach Theodore Whitmore, was expected to feature against the Mexican squad last night, but was replaced by Houston Dynamos midfielder JeVaughn Watson. Beckford sustained the injury after coming on as a late substitute against Crystal Palace last week.

It is hoped that the 29-year-old, who once featured for the likes of Leeds United and English Premier League team Everton, will add some firepower to the squad, which had issues finding the back of the net in the last round.

However, the player has been plagued by injury issues in the past and continues to have his troubles this season. The forward was sidelined for five games at the end of November and began December with a similar problem. The player has missed a total of seven matches since joining Huddersfield on loan from Leicester in September.